Diverse and thoughtfully chosen documents complement the thematic and chronological framework of the textbook, The Making of the West, while giving students practice in evaluating a wide range of primary sources, including visual sources in every chapter.

An Introduction for Students leads students step-by-step through the process of historical analysis using a documentary and a visual source from the reader, helping students move from abstract concepts to concrete examples.

Section introductions and document headnotes highlight the historical significance of and situate sources within their wider historical context while also addressing their relationship to one another and to the main themes in the corresponding chapter of The Making of the West.

Individual questions for discussion and end of chapter comparative questions guide students through evaluating the sources, engaging with scholarly arguments, and connecting the sources to the larger themes of the chapter and the course.

Primary source quizzes accompany every document in the LaunchPad for The Making of the West.